Audi Sliced The Top Off The R8 V10 And Gave Us A New Spyder

How’s this for performance: 0 to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 197.6 mph. Now imagine going that fast without any sort of metal or carbon fiber panel above your head. Meet the Audi R8 Spyder V10, which has just been revealed here at the 2016 New York Auto Show. Like its coupe sibling, power comes from that wonderful as always 5.2-liter V10 (hurray for naturally aspirated engines!), producing a total of 540 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. Power is delivered to the Quattro all-wheel-drive system via the familiar seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

Audi claims that compared to the R8 V10 Coupe, “the engine sound now delivers an even more intense experience.” The lightweight cloth top opens and closes in 20 seconds up to a speed of 31.1 mph. The rear window, sunk into the bulkhead, can be retracted and extended. Weighing in at 3,554 lbs, the new topless R8 isn’t exactly light but Audi went to great lengths to get that poundage as low as possible. Aluminum components make up 79.6 percent of the newly developed Audi Space Frame (the rest is carbon fiber) and, like the coupe, they form a lattice that engineers have used to incorporate specific reinforcements especially into the sills, A-posts and windscreen frame.

The highly rigid body itself weighs 458.6 lbs, and its torsional rigidity has increased by over 50 percent compared to the previous model. Impressive. The R8 Spyder V10’s interior is carried-over from the coupe, which is a very good thing. Audi builds what some say are the best interiors in the business. Owners will enjoy a new smartphone interface, making it possible to display selected content from the smartphone directly in the Audi virtual cockpit. This feature will become optional in the R8 Coupe later this year. There’s also a Bang & Olufsen Sound System and, for the first time, Audi has integrated two head restraint loudspeakers into each seat. Pricing and an official on sale date have yet to be announced.